Pause
by The Ryuu Victoire Tea Party
Summary: Semi AU: Collection of NonChronological Chapters: Years have passed and many things changed. On the most dangerous undercover missions they've ever been on, they have reached levels of strength some only dream of. NaruHina
1. Bloody Bath: Love

She landed on the ground noiselessly, her weapon extended to her right, gripped firmly between her fingers. Strands of hair fell loose and were seen through her hood that effectively shadowed her face. Her eyes, pale yet lucid, so unlike a blind man's eyes, scanned the area behind her. It was as if she had eyes in the back of her head, because she did so without turning around. Two heads rolled onto the ground, and their bodies fell down soon after. She did not bother looking at her two victims again, and lowered the curved blade she held in her hand.

There was blood everywhere as fight had been rather messy. The blood was mostly Naruto's, in fact, as he tended to charge around, uncaring of who or what he hit. The raven hair girl sighed. The battle itself was over, and one of her latest mentor's was taking care of the ruins of the shinobi they had fought against. Sound-nin they were, and they had been after Naruto. From what she could gather, Orochimaru still wanted Naruto out of the way, and away from Akatsuki. Well, she smiled softly, gazing into the trees, good luck with that.

Naruto smiled at her, and she turned to look at him. Her eyes didn't let any of the other's movements go unnoticed. Especially when it came to Naruto: she was extremely overprotective of the boy she looked up to. He stood not too far away from her, his blades still in hand and his chin high. It was another success, and even if he wasn't jumping around in joy, like he would have, he was still very happy.

Their eyes met, and he complemented her. "Good one, Hina-chan!" his voice was loud in the resounding silence, and he walked closer to her, bloody katanas in one hand, pointed to the grass below their feet.

"Thank you." She smiled. He was no longer a loud, stubborn little boy. Although he could still be rather overwhelming, and he was as stubborn as ever, he had grown. In more ways than one. He towered over her at the proud height of six feet one, and was still growing, by the looks of it. He was a late bloomer. In fact, it had taken a year before he had surpassed her in height, which had greatly annoyed the blonde. As for her, she hadn't grown a quarter of an inch taller since she was fourteen. She was tall, however; and measured five feet eight.

The two teenagers looked at each other for a little while. For them, this fighting was more or less a routine. They had countless people that needed to get off their backs. And they had countless of messy jobs like these to take care of in the future.

"You two, get that blood off you. You're targets."

They both turned, and eyed the speaker. He was tall, as tall as Naruto, with raven hair and red, glowing eyes. He was an outlaw, and maybe just a little insane, but he was their mentor and they found the fact that he was their friend comforting.

But it was true, about them being covered in the thick liquid. Naruto and Hinata were entirely covered in red, fresh blood. It was not only a little gross, but also very smelly.

Hinata took a quick look around. She reached out for Naruto's bruised hand, and smiled. "There's a stream not too far away from here... We'll wash off there." She looked at Itachi-san. "We'll be back soon." Years ago, back in her genin days when she lived at the compound, she might have stuttered. But she never would have dared look at him in the eye. But Hinata was stronger. She was taller. She was more confident and stared at the older man unwaveringly in the eye.

Itachi turned his back to them and walked away, a sign of his agreement. The two of them smiled at each other. They walked through the thick wood, and she let go of his hand; he would follow her anyways. He trusted her. Another one of her achievements.

The stream was small, and reached their knees. The water flowed down the mountain at a face pace, and the water was delightfully cool. She took off her black jacket, her hood finally coming off.

There was blood _all over_ her. Oh how she loved her main weapon dearly, but it was such a messy tool. The scythe, a traditional Eastern symbol of death (so she had learned during their traveling) was a frightening tool. She grasped its handle and dipped the blade into the spring, letting the current carry the bright red blood down the mountain and away from them. Hopefully, the water would dilute the redness before another passerby came by, or else their current position would be compromised. But they would be moving soon anyways.

Naruto completely cleaned his two katanas, the black hilted one was washed first and the orange hilted one right after. He sheathed both of them, satisfied with the day's work, and laid them on the grass. He then proceeded to take off most of his clothes and sloppily cleaned them in the water.

Hinata stepped in the water, wearing nothing but her underwear and a tight black T-shirt. She quickly shook the blood out of her clothes, and set them out to dry.

She then produced a tiny bottle of shampoo from her jacket's inner pocket. It was one of her little treasures, and was hard to come by, as they never passed long enough in a city for her to get some. She would often find herself stealing it from those they attacked. What was shampoo to a corpse?

She dunked her hair in the water, grimacing in disgust as some red liquid was squeezed out. It was even in her hair?

Naruto watched his partner, amused. Hinata was adamant about her hair. She hated when it got dirty, and would go at somewhat great lengths to wash it properly.

He watched her as she lathered her long, glossy black hair in the white soap. She was probably smiling. He could tell even when her back was turned, and he didn't even have the Byakugan!

He sneaked up behind her, but she knew he was trying to surprise her.

He touched her shoulders gently. He was so close to her.

"Enjoying yourself?" he asked playfully in her ear.

She nodded.

"Here, let me help you with this…" he let his voice trail off as he ran his fingers through her slippery, soapy black hair. He massaged her head a little bit and played with her hair. It was completely free of blood now. His hands felt nice on her scalp, but Hinata decided to end it by rinsing her hair. Without giving a word of warming, she disappeared in the shallow water, out of his reach, and shot back upright. Her hair was clean and she wiped the water out of her face.

"Thanks Naruto-kun." She said softly, smiling. He grinned back.

"You're very much welco-?" he was pushed into the water, something he definitely wasn't expecting.

"You still have blood in your hair, Naruto-kun." She said simply, a mischievous twinkle in her pale eyes.

He rolled his eyes as he propped himself back up, spitting out water. That was a little unexpected, and he was the number one ninja when it came to being unpredictable. He didn't complain, however, when she sat on her ankles right next to him in the shallow waters, and started rinsing the blood completely out of his hair.

His hair was soft, she realized once again. It was beautiful, unruly blonde hair. No matter what Naruto did to it, it always looked like he had plastered it with tons of hair gel. She smiled at him. His hair was an unusual color, really, but she rather liked it.

"You need a haircut, Naruto-kun." She smiled, her eyes looking into his. His head was cradled in her hands, and all he could see was her face. He grinned rather naughtily.

"Only if you do it."

She rolled her eyes.

He moved out of his position (he was practically lying on top of her) and kneeled in front of her.

She raised one eyebrow at him, her smile curious. What was he planning now?

To her surprise, he did nothing funny, and didn't splash water in her face or anything childish like that. Not that she'd mind, but she preferred what he opted to do instead.

He kissed her.

It was like any of their kisses: soft, but meaningful.

His hand touched her cheek and he smiled in the kiss.

"Hinata…" he said, and the girl didn't know whether he was asking her a question or simply saying her name…

He moved his face away, but they were still close in each other's arms.

"Mm?" she said softly.

He shrugged and smiled.

"I don't know…I was…kinda wondering…" he took a breathe and looked to the shore, "Do you want to go back?"

"Back?"

"Back to Konohagure…Like Itachi said..."

His gaze returned to her, and she was caressing his hair, gently moving his wet bangs from his face. She had water on her eyelashes, he realized. It was kind of cute.

"I…I want to be with you, Naruto-kun. But I do want to see the others too. Going back won't be too bad." She said softly. Her voice was always soft.

"Think they'll take us back?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. If we convince them that we didn't do anything against Konohagure's interest, which we didn't do, they just might. Besides…didn't you want to be Hokage, Naruto-kun?" she asked him. His dream…was it still his dream? So much had changed, in so many years.

"Yeah. I still want to protect Konohagure. And you. I want to be with you, Hina-chan, always." He said seriously.

She smiled at him. It was cute and hilarious to see him express those things. But it made her heart beat faster, and she became insanely happy.

"And I'll be with you. You never have to worry." Her smile was a peaceful, happy one.

They moved to the rocky edge of the small stream, and they sat by each other. Hinata's toes splashed the water. A bare arm wrapped itself around her shoulder. Naruto wasn't wearing a shirt. She didn't blush.

Well, she blushed a tiny little bit.

It was extremely calm and the birds chirped happily somewhere away in the forest.

The sixteen year olds looked at the water in front of them. Hinata leaned against the blonde.

"In a week, I'll see Konohagure again…" Naruto said, as if in a daze.

"It's…ano… it's a little bit frightening…" she said slowly, her eyes lowered.

"Your family?" Hinata nodded.

Her family…had decided she wasn't worthy. In short, it was a blessing in disguise when she had decided to follow Naruto. Away from her family, she had been able to evolve. Away from her fears, she was finally able to grow. The Hinata he was holding today was very different from the one she had been at twelve.

Four years, and so much had changed. Akatsuki had taken them in, and they were both members, and with Itachi and Kisame, they were the top pair of fighters the organization had. They were partner trained, and together, they worked like one. They were extremely effective, and both had developed a friendship and a romance that only they shared. It was an incredible bond that helped their fighting very much: they worked together and fought together. Many partner fighters were forbidden to become so close in fear that their chemistry would deteriorate their effectiveness, but here, it could only help Naruto and the girl.

After a few moments of silence, the two started kissing again. Hinata was shielded in Naruto's arms and her hands played in his hair as their kiss became more passionate. The water made a clean sound as it ran beside them.

Hinata noticed the shark-nin approaching.

"Naruto-kun…" she whispered as their lips momentarily separated for air.

He shushed her. He knew the other was coming, and frankly couldn't care less. He was allowed to kiss Hinata when he felt like it, and that guy could go hump a tree for all he cared!

"You two!" Kissame's voice boomed loudly over the silence. "Stop eating your faces and get ready. We're leaving, punks."

Naruto growled, and glared at the towering man, but all Hinata did was caress his whiskers-stripes on his cheek. His cheeks were smooth, and the birthmarks made no dent in the skin.

"I don't know why he lets you two have even a _second _on your own! You're so damn irresponsible, you could've given our position away!"

Naruto retorted: "You're just jealous because I have Hinata-chan and you're stuck with a perverted serial killer!" he stuck out his tongue.

"Itachi? Perverted?" Hinata whispered, smiling, "I would never have guessed."

The boy smiled coyly. Kissame groaned.

"You both have thirty seconds to get ready."

They both went to their clothing lying on the grass and quickly got dressed. Kissame was already walking away, muttering madly.

The moment he was out of sight, Naruto kissed Hinata on the lips rather chastely (compared to their last kiss) and chuckled.

"Bah. He's just pissed because we got to kill those idiots before he could take out his shark sword!"

"Of course."

She was still as calm and quiet as she had been, but there was confidence in her movements and for those who managed to madden her, she was probably the more dangerous of the two. She went in for the kill faster than he did; he was the type who liked to land a few more hits and gloat to his opponents.

Dressed, Naruto put his two swords on either side of his hips, attached to his leather belt and started walking towards where Kissame had appeared. The sun was starting to set, and they were going to move soon.

"Coming?" he asked the dark-haired girl.

Hinata smiled, and took his outstretched hand.


	2. Pink Petals: Sisters

**Note. I have decided to turn pause into a series of One-shots that have the same general theme (this storyline) yet no chronological order. Maybe one day, when I have enough and I need not write any more, I'll put them in order of occurrence, but for now, I don't think I will. I was severely disappointed by the lack of reviews for the first chapter of this series. But I don't give up. Just because this chapter has some relative time continuity with the last chapter doesn't mean every chapter will be like this... **

**I draw my inspiration for my sibling fics from my own situation with my sister. I am the eldest, but for years my sister surpassed me in everything. Then suddenly I moved along with my life and leaped ahead of her, and my sister is suddenly feeling failure and inferiority for the first time in her life at about the same time Hanabi does in this fic. **

**I feel like working on Kyuubi's Deal right now, but its one o'clock in the morning and I just got back from a Nickelback concert. **

**Peace out.**

**NOTE: Changed grammar errors. Sorry, my PC did it on purpose without me. (**

The trees were in full bloom. The beautiful pink and green flowers and leaves coloured the once bare trees, and it was the end of the cold season. The courtyard of the Hyuuga compound was lined with these beautiful old trees. On one side of the long, wide area was the heir. On the other was her sister.

The sister raised the curved blade, and sighed. The heir tensed.

To the audience's shock, the weapon was thrown aside and landed in the ground, its sharp edge slamming into the tough, hard ground with a thud. The chain that was attached to the short handle of the weapon followed it, landing noisily on the ground by it.

"You might want to keep your weapon, traitor. You just might need it." The heir sneered.

The other sighed, used to such words, even if she hadn't heard them in a long time. Two of the audience members clenched their fists. One was a genius: he had beautiful long black hair, an unmarred forehead protector wrapped proudly around his head, and white eyes that could see through anything, if he wanted.

The other was blonde. He had whisker marks. His katana stood harmless at his hips, but he was itching to take them out and show these bastards what they deserved.

"I am no traitor. Did they not tell you?"

Her voice rang through the quiet place so clearly, it startled some. The dangerous edge in her voice was apparent.

"Shut up! I want no more lies from you!" and with that, the proud Hyuuga heir charged forward at a speed that few could follow with their eyes only. Her Byakugan was activated as she moved.

But in the few nano-seconds it took the heir to reach her sister, the girl was already gone, and several feet away.

"Afraid?" the girl taunted, her breathing a little heavy as she looked to the other. "Hinata-chan was always afraid of me. Some things don't change."

Hinata looked at the blonde boy standing on the sidelines, and Naruto saw a sad smile in her eyes.

"I am not afraid. I've faced worse that what you threaten me with now."

The heir's satisfied smirk was wiped off her face. With a blood-freezing scream, she charged forward and made her way towards the hooded girl. Hinata parried the death blow with a simple wrist flick. The blow that followed momentarily was always evaded with a swift kick that send her sister flying backwards.

"You sully the Hyuuga style with impure techniques!" the heir yelled.

"That was not a Hyuuga styled block or attack. I'm using a different style, little sister." Hinata replied without missing a beat.

Hanabi growled, frustrated.

"If you don't surrender, I will kill you!"

Hinata smiled; a smile that unnerved everyone there, except for her blonde companion.

"I doubt it."

Naruto had trouble suppressing a laugh. In fact, his face was growing redder by the minute as he tried to contain himself.

Hanabi charged once more. With a furious "Kai!" she aimed two chakra points in Hinata's arms and was already planning her next attack. She almost missed how Hinata had quickly side-stepped her charge and stuck her leg out to trip her. Hanabi fell forward, but caught her balance in time and did a roundhouse chakra-charged punch to her sister's shoulder. Hinata responded with her own attack: a thin shot of chakra strikes that hurt like a mother fucker and made tiny little lined cuts on Hanabi's hands, face and legs.

Paper cuts hurt a lot. This was how Hinata had learned the utility of that technique.

The girl hissed in pain and stumbled back for a second. She cursed.

Hanabi prepared to attack with a prized Hyuuga attack. "You are in my divination range! Kaiten: Divine Spin!" the hand seals quickly followed as she charged towards her sister in a perfect execution of the technique.

At sound-speed Hinata moved towards the place where she had thrown her scythe and grabbed it.

"Ninpo no Gai Kokoro: Washi no Hitogoe! KEIRIKU!"

Crouched on the ground, scythe in hand, the cry was done in the span of a quarter of a second, as her sister was coming for her, ready to close all of her chakra points on her body and paralysing her.

The ground around Hinata started to shake in a circular motion: chakra swirled around her, mingling with the wind that became incredibly powerful quickly. Pink petals and leaves were ripped from the branches of the trees, and it was a swirl of leaves, petals, wind and chakra that knocked Hanabi off her feat and forced her on the ground. In the center of all this was a raised scythe, who seemed to have grown wings.

No, the wings actually belonged to a bird, an eagle; that had appeared on top of the scythe, perched in a menacing way. It wasn't a summon, but what it was exactly Hinata would not tell.

Naruto smirked as the wind became more ferocious, and only those who had a Byakugan could correctly see what was happening inside the vortex. Neji stared in wonder at how strong Hinata was. Hiashi gritted his teeth.

The wind died as quickly as it had been awakened and the leaves and petals fell to the ground in a rain of pink softness. Hinata, clad in her dark clothes and hooded so that her eyes were only visible in her shadowed face, her scythed raised in the air above her head, a few meter in front of a fallen Hanabi, looked quite fucking scary indeed. Hinata seemed to be looking at the ground, and the eagle soared with a mighty cry.

And Hinata charged.

The bird seemed to crow, its wingspan elongated so that, as it flew behind Hinata, it looked as if Hinata had grown wings. Piercing eyes that revealed blood, sadness, love and hatred gazed at the target. Hinata's only intention was to attack her sister.

Suddenly Hanabi started crying.

"No! NO! NO! NO! NO!" Hinata's little sister screamed hysterically, covering her eyes. She had learned the feeling of defeat for the first time.

Naruto took pity on the girl. He thought she needed a good beating, but he suddenly recognized the killer intent of his second half's attack. Using her 'Angel of Death' attack, as he, Itachi and Kisame liked to call it, had a somewhat odd effect on her. Sometimes it felt like the bird was doing most of the controlling, when it came down to it. And Hanabi was what, thirteen? Twelve, even?

He moved rapidly in front of Hinata and stopped the girl as she was running at full charge. However, this was no problem for him, as he was rather strong himself and his arms wrapped around the girl nicely. The scythe was lowered, before being let go of and the eagle vanished. Hinata seemed to recover from her sudden change in personality caused by one of her ultimate attacks.

She simply fell apart in Naruto's arms, and clutched on to him because he was her only lifeline.

"Thank you." She gulped, pulling back tears that threatened to fall.

No matter how much Hinata wanted revenge, she would not – could not – kill her little and only sister.

Naruto simply cooed in her hair, rubbing her back.

"Don't worry about it. What are partners for, ne? Normally, you're the one who stops me from making silly mistakes, so I decided to pay you back." He grinned encouragingly at the girl who held his heart.

Hinata shuddered. She had almost killed her sister.

She had almost killed her sister.

The tears fell freely.

Hanabi watched the pair in front of her in total shock. She watched and wiped away the tears.

Her heart pounded in her chest and she could hear the blood thumping in her ears. Her breaths were deep and strained. She had thought it was the end.

She gazed at her sister who was being held by the blonde intruder. She owed her life to the infamous dead-last?

Failure…it tasted so bitter in her mouth. She spit out on the ground next to her, and got up, her legs barely able to support her trembling figure.

"Why…Why did you-you save me?"

Naruto craned his neck around, looking at the proud Hyuuga heir.

"Because you're her only sister… You two are family. It's time you goddamned started acting like one!"

Hanabi's eyes widened.

"Hina-chan…" Naruto whispered, yet knowing the trained members of the audience could fully well hear him. "Let's go see Baa-chan, okay? Then we can go have ramen! Or …you know…rest…or whatever…you wanna shop maybe?" He was trying to cheer her up, but he was only half successful at doing so.

She untangled herself from her arms, placing the hood back over her head and taking the scythe from the ground. Nodding to Naruto, she walked up to her father.

"Otou-san…Please accept my forgiveness…I did not think my visit would cause such turmoil. You need never see me again." She bowed very slightly and looked at her cousin,

"I am glad you are well, Neji-san."

She walked by her sister and without looking at her sister, said quietly:

"You are lucky, Hanabi. You always have been. Goodbye."

And closely followed by a worried Naruto, she left the compound with a high chin and a heavy heart. And she left behind her a ground covered with soft pink petals, but the trees were bare; ripped of their beautiful glory, just like she had ripped the glory from her sister's heart.


	3. Eyes in Starlight: Kiss

**Another little instalment for your pleasure. I do believe many romance fans will enjoy this. **

**On another note, I realized thatI posted this again without finding all of my mistakes. So here is, hopefully, a better version.**

* * *

She raised her spectacled eyes from the rumpled newspaper to look at the couple on the opposite side of the small desk. Her little lips, brightly coloured with a horribly fake lipstick red, pursed as she frowned in disapproval. She looked at them through beady eyes. Her fat chin wobbled. She was a sore sight.

But she nonetheless seemed like she was the boss around here.

"_Two_ rooms, then?"

The boy, the blonde with rather long hair for a guy, shook his head, a hollow laugh coming from the back of his throat.

"Nah. We don't have that much money." He said, glancing at his female partner. "One room."

The older-looking woman (although she seemed to be very much in denial about her age) deepened her frown. She shook her head.

"I may not like the ruffians and scoundrels who choose to reside in this establishment, but I want no funny business. You two are definitely too young to reside in a single room alone."

The two youngsters glanced, their eyes saying more than the woman could catch.

"But…ma'am…" the girl said in a soft, subdued voice, lowering her eyes, "We have just been married."

"Arranged marriage." The boy said, frowning. "…anyways, we're just taking a long break from the family scene."

The woman was hesitant. Arranged marriages were not uncommon, but she personally did not approve of them. These children looked like they may be of age…

"We don't have all day, miss." The blonde boy said.

The woman grunted, readjusting her fine, gold-lined spectacles. "Fine, have it your way." She reached over to a small panel on the wall were several keys hung. "On the second floor, room 9." She handed the key to them, which both of them reached out for, but finally the boy let the girl have it.

"How many days?" she asked them.

"One night. By tomorrow morning, we'll be gone." The bright-haired boy said pleasantly, taking out a little money for the hotel owner.

She looked at them suspiciously.

"How old are you two?" she asked them, curious, right as they were heading up the stairs.

The boy, for effect, took the girl's hand, helping her climb the steep staircase.

"We're fifteen, ma'am." He smiled.

The two teenagers rushed up the stairs, both hiding shy smiles.

¤¤¤

The room was small, and there was a small futon in the corner. On the side were a small dresser, and a mirror. A carpet ordained the floor. The bathrooms were on the third floor, as a short map indicated on the back of the door. But that was all.

It was small and bare, but cheap and they could easily keep a low profile without being asked too many questions on their identity. Of course, the little act: 'we are a young married couple who's parents are bastards' never failed (at least, almost) and although attracted a little more attention than they needed, it was fine with them.

They weren't really married, of course. In fact, it wasn't even 'like _that_'. They were partners and friends. They were fighters. They were shinobi.

Strapped under the back of his jacket were the blonde's two blades. And hidden in her heavy hoodie was her faithful scythe.

They took of their excess clothes, and from a small back strapped on Naruto's back they took out some of their necessities. There was silence between them. But that was okay.

It was Naruto, as usual, who broke the silence.

"We had her good, ne?"

Hinata rolled her pale eyes. She had seen suspicion in the old lady's eyes.

"Well…it would be a good idea to avoid her for now. We don't want to be caught alone with her…She might bombard us with questions we don't need…" Hinata said slowly, carefully.

Naruto grinned. "If you're scared of her, we can change inns, ya' know."

"I'm not scared." She said simply.

"Oh really?" Naruto dropped the subject after that comment.

"We could have taken two rooms…" Hinata added, biting her lip.

"But then we wouldn't have money for the bus ride, tomorrow."

"We have henges for that." She said simply, raising her eyebrows.

"Bah. That would be risky. Besides, I'd rather be closer to you. If something happens, I can help you faster." He shrugged. Hinata suppressed a blush.

It had been a while since she had felt the heat rise to her cheeks.

They occupied themselves for another couple of hours, content in the quietness of their room. Naruto cleaned his katana. Hinata read a few scrolls on advanced chakra techniques she had brought along. The air was relaxing in the little room. Then, after a while of this silence, Naruto noted the setting sun out the window.

"So…you hungry, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata looked up, her hands about to form a complicated seal she was hoping to master to aid her Byakugan.

"I…ano…We have the money?"

"I might have extra…enough for ramen, anyways!" Naruto chuckled, rubbing the back of his head as he crouched down in front of her.

He separated her hands and grinned.

"Please Hinata? I don't want to get separated, but who knows when we'll have another chance at ramen…"

Hinata looked at his bright, gorgeous blue eyes for a moment, the corner of her mouth rising slightly.

She nodded.

"Okay."

Naruto, still holding her hands, stood up and dragged her up.

They put on their jackets and went outside, smiling.

¤¤¤

The warm blanket was drawn over her shoulder as she realized there was a rather bad floor draft. She sighed. This place was so cheap…She tried to snuggle into the soft fabric of the mattress, but she did not feel sleepy at all.

The silver light flickered in the room from the small window, a combination of starlight and streetlamp light.

"You sleepin', Hinata…?" Naruto mumbled from his side.

She sighed.

"No."

She turned around, facing him. There was little space between their faces and bodies, and Hinata could feel his warmth from her side of the futon.

This wasn't the first time they had slept this close together. This situation was not unusual for them, and they had long ago decided that they would sleep easier on the bed then on the floor with a blanket (or a couch or chair, when they were fortunate and could afford a slightly more luxurious establishment).

They had long ago gotten over the timidity that engulfed them whenever they stayed in such close contact.

"Me neither."

She smiled, her eyes looking into his tired ones.

She moved her hand from under the blanket and touched his cheek gently.

"You are tired. Sleep."

He smiled, his eyes closing, obviously enjoying the feeling of her hand on the side of his face.

"I can't. I just keep thinking about this morning…I mean…"

She frowned.

"…We did what we had to do…" he opened his eyes, and their gazes connected. "I feel guilty."

The eyes she knew so well, by now. They spoke often with their eyes, in their fights. When they were in a bad situation, they knew how to act with nothing but a glance in the other's eyes…

She laced her arms around his lean neck and drew him closer to her. Their foreheads met, and he awkwardly took her in his own arms, too.

"I know…" her voice was soft, but warm. "I know the feeling…I know that what we do is hard…The family was responsible for terrible crimes, Naruto. Crimes not only against the Akatsuki, but against the people of this village. Innocents…We…"

She blinked, and Naruto saw her tears.

"The little boys …It was necessary…That's all, Naruto-kun…It was…"

"Yeah…" Naruto added, lamely. He saw her lower lip quiver a little, but saw her resolutely keep her tears in.

For some reason, he couldn't take his gaze off her lips. His hand crept up from her waist to her face and he touched her mouth.

Hinata's eyes widened, the small tears being blinked away.

She could feel a heat in her stomach, and something locked away within her resurfaced. She was terrified, but couldn't move, something else taking hold of her.

"N-Naruto-k-kun?" her voice barely rose above a whisper, her blush somewhat visible in the soft light.

She tried to look away from the boy she had loved a long time ago. She had had to suppress her feelings for him during this long-term mission. So she had allowed herself to forget…even if in the darkest parts of her minds she knew that she secretly hoped he would look at her in the way he was looking at her now…

Their gazes accidentally crossed, and his eyes showed fear. They were wide and questioning. Yet…

Her heart sped up as he moved even closer to her. She saw him half-shut his eyelids. And then his lips gently met hers.

He was warm.

Then, before Hinata could properly register and enjoy it, the kiss was over and Naruto quickly moved away.

He started rambling, afraid.

"I'm so sorry! I…I…I didn't mean it I swear it was like, I dunno…" his hand went to his mouth and his eyes were wide.

Hinata blinked, and looked at the ceiling, rolling on her back.

She couldn't believe it. Her wildest dream had just come true, and there he was, apologizing.

"I'm sorry, Hinata-chan…I didn't mean to hurt you…I…"

"You didn't hurt me." She said, her voice a lot colder than she wanted it to be.

Naruto edged closer to her.

"Hinata, look at me, please, say something…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…I didn't mean…I…I don't want you to hate me, Hinata!"

Hinata shut her eyes, and put her hand over her mouth.

Naruto realized something was very wrong.

She sat up, the sheets sliding off her quietly. She was looking down, and especially not at him. Naruto couldn't believe how stupid he was. He had had the best friend he could ever hope for. Years of loneliness in Konoha had left him desperate for a true friend, and now that he had someone, he had gone and fucked it up.

What was he _thinking_? She wasn't interested in him. Honestly, she was a fucking princess! He was the Kyuubi brat! He looked at her, and she refused to look at him.

For some reason, he wanted to kiss her again. He wanted to make her happy…He had always hated it when girls cried. But this was _way_ worse than Sakura's loud sobbing.

Hinata's dark hair hid her face from him.

"Hinata-chan?" he said in a soft voice. He was almost afraid of her. He didn't want to hear her say it. He was so afraid of her refusing to be his friend. He was shaking, he was so scared.

"N..a…" she couldn't say his name, "Was…"

In fact, her voice wasn't responding at all.

They sat there, in the dark. He was looking at her long, soft hair shine in the bleak light, and then his eyes followed her bare shoulder down to her slender arms. The sleeveless shirt she was wearing was slightly too small, his eyes traced the lines of her figure.

He snapped out of it quickly. He realized that he had been checking out Hinata…That…That was…

Well, she _was_ really pretty.

Forgetting where he was, he whacked the side of his head in frustration.

Hinata looked at him sharply, jerked by the sudden movement.

Naruto tried to smile, and tried to look sheepish.

Her lip quivered, and she tried to say something again: "The…w-what we did…me…it…you…" her voice died slowly.

Naruto looked at her, his face showing a mixture of fear and hope.

"Was…it…really…that bad?" she said, hesitating.

"Huh?" Naruto asked blankly.

Hinata gulped again. This…this could be her chance. She didn't…she wanted to set things right…but she wanted a chance too.

She realized with a start that she still loved him.

She spoke before her brain could stop her. "Would you do it again if you could?" she managed to say quickly. She sucked in a long, shuddering breath.

"If I…" Naruto echoed, but his throat closed up. He couldn't answer this. Was this a trap question? Was she giving him a chance? A chance at what? He gulped.

She looked at him, and their eyes met. Shiny little tears were wetting her cheeks.

He was suddenly overcome by the same feeling he had felt earlier…when he had kissed her.

He blushed.

"I would kiss you if you…let me."

He didn't even realize the words at left his mouth until he saw the way she reacted.

She jumped him. Well, she jumped towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck again. He tumbled off the futon, completely taken aback.

But she was in his arms. Automatically he held her close on top of him as they lied on the floor.

His heart was beating faster than ever. He had never felt like this: it was like adrenaline. It was like the feeling of walking on water, of mastering a new technique, it was like reaching the top of a mountain and it was like…it was like kissing Hinata again.

And before either of them really knew what was happening, their mouths connected again. His arms wrapped around her back, and hers were in his unruly hair. He moved so that he was on top of her, and they kissed again.

Her thumb rubbed his smooth cheek, and his whisker marks were just visible. They were now kissing with their mouths open. Hinata could barely register a memory that surfaced.

In that memory, she was eleven, and Sakura and Ino were whispering about something called 'French kissing'.

But the memory was gone as soon as it surfaced. His tongue was exploring her mouth, and her mind and thoughts were put on hold.

A little noise in the back of her throat not unlike a moan escaped her.

Then Naruto slowed down the pace of their snogging and with a chaste kiss on her forehead, he sat up next to her, blushing profusely. He had let something take over him again.

She propped herself up on one of her elbows, and her free hand moved her hair from her eyes. Then she touched her lips.

And she smiled. She smiled so broadly that it took Naruto by surprise. He had never seen that smile before. His heart skipped a beat.

She sat up properly, a hand covering the bottom half of her face as her eyes looked up at his innocently.

Well, 'innocently'.

"Hmm…was that okay?" Naruto asked suddenly.

They were both blushing incredibly.

"A-ano…Ah…"

Because her voice wasn't cooperating so she nodded vigorously, her two hands still in front of her mouth.

They both looked at the futon (whose cover had been rather strewn about) and blushed again. There was something different between them now. And more things still had to be said and heard, but they could reach each other's eyes, and actions spoke louder than words.

"So…sleep?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah. Sleep." She bit her lip as she repressed a smile.

"Um…"

"Yeah."

Hinata got up and replaced the blanket on the bed before she actually slipped under the covers. She fluffed her pillow and placed her head on it, before looking at Naruto, who was staring at her as if she was the most amazing thing in the world. Hinata fought back another blush.

Naruto bit the inside of his cheek without actually breaking the skin.

He was trying not to laugh. All of a sudden, he was the happiest boy, kid, teen, man, _whatever_ in the world!

He let out a happy cheer as he jumped on the mattress. His previous troubles were gone, and all he could think about was the thin pale-eyed girl he was starting to fall in love with. Or maybe he was already in love with her and hadn't realized it yet.

Hinata looked at him and saw a pair of bright blue eyes that were shining in the dark from a couple of shed tears.

"Naruto-kun?" she asked him in concern.

Naruto kissed her on the forehead and settled down next to her under the warm covers.

"Ya' know, it's not _that_ girly to cry when you're happy!" he replied cheerfully.

Hinata smiled, her heart lifted.

It was one of those smiles again. Naruto kissed her on the lips again, and Hinata threw her arms around his neck. She was just as eager as he was, Naruto realized. He felt her smile softly into the kiss.

"Whatever happened to 'sleep'?" she giggled as they separated for air.

"Mmm…?" he kissed her nose, "Later…" She tried to roll her eyes. But he _was_ smothering her with kisses.

"'Ruto-kun!" she pushed him away gently.

"Mmh…Hina-chan…" he pulled her close and they rested there, in each other's arms. His chin rested over her head, and with his hand he played with her hair.

Naruto rubbed her back slowly, feeling drowsy. But as he kissed Hinata's forehead one last time that night, he realized that he was never going to let go.

Hinata smiled happily, her eyes closed.

Some moments later, the two fifteen year olds fell asleep there, in that position.

Later the next day, when the two teens met up with their mentors, Itachi and Kisame, on the border of the Earth Country, Kisame took one look at the two and said:

"Gods. Took you two long enough, brats."


	4. A Dim Light: Horoscope

Shortest Chapter ever posted. Drabble really.

**A Dim Light**

Hinata found her cheerfulness slightly dampened as she finished reading her horoscope.

It wasn't particularly daunting in itself, but there was one phrase that did ruin her good mood. Looking around, she saw Naruto buying a few chocolate bars and bit her lip, throwing the now ripped up piece of newspaper in the rubbish bin a couple of feet behind her, using her Byakugan to get a perfect shot without turning her head.

"What is it? Weren't you going to follow the latest developments of the Sound?"

Hinata almost jumped as Naruto suddenly appeared in front of her, holding a small piece of chocolate for her. She smiled faintly, her heart beating madly.

"There w-was n-nothing the-there…" she found herself stuttering.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Well, you could've let me read it too. And what were we saying about the stuttering, Hinata?" he added the last bit with a smile, trying to throw her out of her nervousness.

It didn't work.

"I…I'm-m sorry n-Naruto-kun…I meant t-t-to…" she shut up, realizing that she wasn't getting very far.

Naruto frowned, not being very tactful.

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing." Hinata squeaked.

"You sure."

"Hmm." She mumbled, nodding her head.

The blonde shrugged. "Okay then. Here's some chocolate, Hinata."

She took the piece from him, blushing slightly.

"T-thanks, N-Naruto-k-kun."

Naruto beamed. "No problem!"

He walked on, grabbing his backpack from the ground and eating his chocolate happily. Hinata secured the bag around her waist and walked on after him, slowly, observing the area through her Byakugan. She felt a little downtrodden now, and tried to find hope in Naruto's cheerful walk. But as her eyes bore holes in his sunny, spiky hair, her mind kept on replaying the horoscope in her head.

_Do not forget that though you may be reveling in many joys and passions, that reality is not faraway. Enjoy, but do not let yourself get lost in this cloudy dream, because later you will painfully figure out that these passions are only temporary._


	5. Painting: Avoidance

**Title: **Painting

* * *

Hinata smiled to herself, feeling calm. She often did this on missions, ever since they'd started leaving the Akatsuki compounds for their outdoor training.

She would find a quiet place for herself, away from Naruto. She held back a giggle as she thought about it again.

For once, (for the first time in her life, actually) _she _was running from him.

She felt slightly guilty.

But how else could she do this? She hid a smile again, and sat down, crossing her legs and stretching her arms out back.

Then, she opened up a book and took out a small bottle and a thin brush.

And she started painting the tree forms. The mountainside was beautiful at this point…early afternoon; the sun just started descending from its zenith… The warm, summer breeze blew through the yellowing leaves…the cold season had began, and the trees were slowly losing their regular coloring.

She bit her lip as she concentrated on her ink drawing of the trees around her and the valley that just spread out in front of her. It was ridiculously beautiful, and Hinata felt so inadequate to be the one trying to capture it. She bit her lip.

Leaning back, she wondered how much time had passed since she had come here. She even dared wondered if Naruto was looking for her…or even just wondering where she was…

She sighed, looking back at her black and white ink drawing, and reached forward with the brush to adjust a line, and make it look smoother…

"There you are. Hey, that looks pretty good!"

The thirteen year old girl jumped out of her skin. "Naruto-kun!" her small voice whispered breathlessly, indignant, "You scared me!"

"Aww…Hinata-chan…you were so concentrated on your painting!" he laughed, "I didn't want to bother you."

A colder, harsher voice rang out from behind them.

"This shows, Hinata, that you need to work on you detection skills. Or on your focus. This is training, not play time."

Hinata's head hang low as she registered her sensei's words.

"Awww…Itachi. Be nice to Hinata."

The taller man simply turned around. "Hurry up you two. We have to reach the camp site in less than an hour."

And with that, Itachi walked away.

* * *

Reminder: Standard Disclaimer on my author's profile. 


	6. Again: History On Repeat

"Again."

She looked up, eyes wide, lips cut, cheeks scratched, a bruise on her shoulder, and stuttered:

"w-w-WHAT?" she tried to scream with a hoarse voice.

"This is no vacation."

She looked down, trying not to laugh morosely. Oh, she _knew _that. Laughing hurt, though. Struggling, her legs tired and her arms no better, she managed to stand again.

"You have to learn…" and before Hinata could react, her teacher was but a blur, and he was suddenly so close he was breathing down her neck. "To react."

With an incredible scream, she twirled around, closing her eyes and using her Byakugan to guide her. Her fingers her charged with the little chakra she had left, and she would try to strike something vital, something-_ugh._

His fingers held her throat in a vice grip and she was held up two feet off the ground.

"You need to learn how to block. To run, to get in a better position."

Hinata opened her eyes, sweat dripping down her forehead as she gasped. "H-H-Hyuuga do not run. We attack those…w-w-who g-get t-too close." She repeated, using a formula her father had once used. It was true. Hyuuga, with their offensive arsenal, were used to letting their enemies get close before striking.

Itachi narrowed his eyes. Her teacher's sharingan faded slightly, signaling that this fight was over, and he threw her aside. Without the energy to land gracefully, she slumped on the cold stone floor.

Hinata quickly took in a deep breathe. _He's going to say again. He's going to say again…enjoy this pause…_

She lay on her back, keeping her teacher in her range of vision, in case her last statement had angered him and he got angry, and attacked her again by surprise.

Instead, a voice she'd never heard before.

"You've been here for two weeks, little girl."

Her white eyes widened, and she sat up difficultly.

He was going to continue: he wasn't going to attack her for another while.

"Have you not realized that the Hyuuga are no longer your family?"

Hinata winced.

Yes, she had. Oh, had not that thought haunted her dreams for the past thirteen nights? She had cried, in her little room hidden deep away in the Akatsuki lair. She had been so thankful Naruto could not see her when she was alone, nestled in her sheet, and she would listen and cry and wish she were home, and wish her father missed her….She would fabricate a story where Hanabi and Hiashi-san and Neji would miss her, and hope she come back…

"They'll never take you back." Itashi said harshly. "The sooner you realize this, the sooner you'll get stronger."

"SHUT UP!" Hinata screeched, her hands covering her ears. The thirteen year old wanted to kill him.

She got up, functioning on pure adrenaline, and launched a series of small, somewhat dangerous attacks if they'd ever had a chance to land. He blocked them all effectively, and reached forward, grabbing her undamaged shoulder…

And flicked a finger on her forehead, causing Hinata to stop because of pure surprise.

"Wha…?"

"You'll never be able to forget your last name, and neither will they. But you will never be a part of that 'family' again."

Hinata looked down, bowing her head and hid her tears.

Itachi frowned. He hated seeing kids cry.

Itachi felt something within him snap, slightly. He felt angry against the Hyuuga, a feeling he'd felt against his own clan long ago…He lifted her chin with his fingers, and stared down into her pale, white eyes. She looked up, and realized his sharingan had completely disappeared from his eyes.

"You'll find yourself a new name, for the world, little girl. You'll soon realize that the approval of your family is not quite as gratifying as it seems. You're better off letting them go."

She started crying, quietly. Why was he being so mean? Why couldn't he just teach her and then let her go? Why was he so persistent in saying…those things?

She sniffled quietly, but otherwise stayed as silent as possible. She was crying- that was shameful enough.

Itachi stayed silent.

"I was once…the heir…of…the…" Hinata couldn't finish. What had she been trying to say in the first place?

"You were once a political puppet whose mind and body was trying to be shoved into a mold that couldn't contain you. Don't believe that you're only one that went through that kind of childhood." He spat out harshly. "You don't have to be that 'perfect Hyuuga' because you'll never be the heir, or the clan leader. You'll be better that all that shit."

Itachi turned around and walked away from her, towards the door of the dojo.

"Don't shy away from greatness, little girl." He added softly, just loud enough so that she could hear him.

He slid open the door and walked out.

**AN**: Short chapters, good/bad chapters, slow chapters…I'm sorry, I really am. If it were up to me, writing would be all that I do. But life ain't perfect. Check my author's profile to know why.

Criticism is what I aim for when writing these, and the fact that I'm not getting many comments slows my updates down somewhat, because I don't think many people care or read about my stories. I'm not begging for a review that says: "omfg update pleez" but a review that actually comments on my writing, the plot…etc…

Anyways. I probably won't write any more before Christmas, so…Merry Christmas!


	7. Rewind: The Old Man's Idea

"Old pervert, I said no!!!"

"Look, if he comes with me, what are the chances I could protect him?" another voice growled, more controlled than the last. "Give them what they want, for now. They won't kill him-"

"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?" came the thundering reply.

"I just do, alright! My source is _reliable._ Do you understand this, you wrinkled prune? _Reliable_, something that _you_ are not!"

"I am not a wrinkled prune! And if you could just tell me who this source is, maybe I'd be more inclined to listen to this incredibly ridiculous story about sending Kohona's best genin into a den of angry _wolves_ just waiting for a chance to rip his head off?"

"Look, I know you want to protect him but-"

"I will protect him! Even from the likes of YOU! Are you so old that you have forgotten _who_ I am?" She gave him a look that would have pregnant women crying and small children screaming. However, he was neither pregnant, nor a small child.

There was a small moment of silence and the two fumed. He knew who she was, and what she had been through. But he just wouldn't give up! There was no way she would agree to this crazy, foolish, downright _stupid _plan and she was putting her foot down. She thought bitterly and she flexed her fingers.

The movement did not go unnoticed.

He cleared is throat and said: "The source is Itachi."

You could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed. Then, like a bomb on a timer, all hell broke loose.

"_WHAT?_"

The man dodged a large, wooden desk that was thrown his way.

"_I AM NOT GOING TO LOSE **ANOTHER** LITTLE BROTHER BECAUSE YOU ARE ASSOCIATING WITH THE ENNEMY! OR DID YOU FORGET THAT _LITTLE_ DETAIL? HOW _ITACHI_ SINGLE-HANDEDLY DESTROYED HIS WHOLE CLAN? LEAVING NOTHING BUT A PHSYCHOPATHIC LITTLE MORON WHO IS NOW OROCHIMARU'S NEW CHEW TOY?"_

There was a crisp silence and you could hear her ragged breathing.

"You finished yet?"

Her face became even redder with rage.

She stepped forward and swung her arm down, her fist closed and charged with enough chakra to destroy cement walls into confetti.

He swung out of the way fast as could. The hit completely destroyed the flooring underneath him.

His long-time teammate closed her eyes and bit back a cry of fury. She was so much stronger than this anger, but she couldn't help it. He was being such a _moron_.

She felt, somehow, really deep down, even after everything that had ever happened to them, their team had ever really grown up. Same old, same old…right?

"Now, I'm done." Tsunade said quietly, voiced laced with venom but her self-control returning.

"Well," he gulped silently, staring at the now completely destroyed floor. "As you know, it is true that in often cases, a demon host generally holds the potential to become stronger than the demon itself, right?"

There was no answer but a faint nod as the woman fell back in her chair.

"They have a way to give him control over it. In return, they want the boy's loyalty to the organization. Once he is strong enough, Itachi will help him return."

"I don't believe that crap, and you know it."

"Listen, their goal is to make the world collapse, right? And they want control over the tailed monsters? The possibility of having the Kyuubi is _huge_, which is why they so ruthlessly search for him. But something stronger?"

She rubbed her temple, sighing morosely.

"Think about it. The more he stays, the more he will start to struggle, and the Kyuubi will try to take over. It's already started! The more chakra he uses, the weaker the seal becomes. And Naruto is strong enough to hold on for a while…but how long? Imagine the consequences."

"I don't trust them."

"I don't trust them either!"

"Then I really don't understand you anymore, jiji."

"I trust Itachi."

"You trust him with an innocent boy's life?"

"Think of it as a mission. A long, long mission."

"What if Naruto wants to leave the village, after his training, and join them?"

"That will never happen. I know Naruto."

"How can you say that? Alone, away from the village, he might change. Actually, he _will _change. How can we prevent that? What is our guarantee?"

"Itachi-"

"I **DON'T** TRUST ITACHI."

He was starting to realize that it was time to change tactics. She was not very well known for her patience…

"So we send someone with him. A reminder."

"Fool! I'm not sending two of our shinobi into this mousetrap full of snakes! What if they kill the second because they don't need him?"

"Send someone valuable enough, and they surely won't."

She groaned, leaning on one side of her chair tiredly. "I'm in the middle of a war, here, idiot. I can't waste two very valuable shinobi because of this crazy scheme."

"Think of how easier it would be to win this war if Naruto could safely harness Kyuubi's power."

"Don't you dare! Naruto is _not_ a tool!"

His gaze softened considerably, and he told her in a gentle voice.

"We all are, Tsunade-chan, whether you like it or not."

They both fell silent.

"Hokage-sama?" came a very, very small and terrified voice from the door. Shizune's head poked through the threshold, and she looked in with apprehensive eyes. "The Hyuuga girl is here."

Tsunade groaned. "Can't she come later? Why'd she come, anyways?"

"You called her here, remember? You wanted to figure out a safeguard against her getting the seal?"

Tsunade's face darkened, but she visibly calmed down.

"Very well, I better do this now. But I'm not done with you, Jiraiya."

The white-haired man simply nodded, instead looking at the door with newfound interest. He'd just had an _idea…_

Hinata was called in.


	8. Wind: Hello n' Goodbye

**Standard disclaimer can be found on my author's profile.**

¤¤¤

The wind rustled through the leaves, a familiar sound that never got tiring. The older man sat underneath the large tree. The tree loomed over the field, effortlessly holding ground against the blistering wind. It cast a long shadow over the field, and the old man quietly moved to sit in the sunlight. The weather was getting colder…

"Heya old man." Came a scratchy but cheerful voice from the side.

The man turned, an incredible feeling of relief painted on his face. But what he saw shocked him. A tall boy, a mass of blonde hair and a huge smile: he wore regular clothes, and to anyone else he looked a little like a peasant.

"…I can barely recognize you."

"It's been a while." The teenager's scratchy voice answered, and it gave the old man reason to smirk.

"Puberty finally caught up, eh?"

"I ain't complainin'." The blonde boy answered, a small chuckle leaving his lips.

"Bet she ain't complaining either."

The boy rolled his eyes, sitting in the tree's shadow and tugging a little at his shirt. "…Hot day for October, isn't it?"

"Maybe for you, idiot." The older man growled.

"Old age finally caught up, eh?" the blonde answered, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Shush." The old man frowned. "How is she?"

The boy smiled. "She's amazing. She is so much stronger, she-" he stopped himself, and swallowed, looking around. "She is the most amazing person I've ever met."

The old man held back a laugh, feeling slightly apprehensive. "Her family isn't happy."

The boy frowned, looking away to the edge of the field. "We heard. The official message they sent out to the shinobi villages…it broke her heart."

There was silence.

"But she is…"

"She's okay now."

More silence. The wind blew stronger for a moment, the leaves making a noise not unlike the noise water make as it runs downhill.

The boy looked up. "Even sensei was worried…"

"Sensei?"

"Yeah. We call him that now. Him and the shark man." The boy chuckled, his voice still slightly raspy.

"They treat you well?"

"They do. They're not evil or anything…Sensei is just…"

The old man laughed. "Twisted?"

The boy shook his head. "Sad."

There was silence.

"You know…if there is danger…I want you both out of there. Hell, your grandmother wants you out this instant."

"Granny?" The teen asked, grinning. "How's the old hag?"

The old man reached over and hit the blonde over the head. "Respect, boy. We are your elders."

"Owwwie." The blonde pouted, rubbing his head. "You're mean…"

The old man rolled his head, and they sat in silence again. It seemed like there was so much to be said, but nothing but silence could be expressed. There was muffled bitterness in that silence. Time was running out, the old man noticed as the tree's shadow got longer: the sun was setting slowly.

It was the younger boy that broke the silence: "There's a lot that needs to be said, but not much time."

"No kidding." Grunted the old man.

"I guess…everything's fine… They're not going to kill me or anything. We don't get to sit much on any of their plans, but I do know they had something to do with the Hidden Mist going all bonkers those years ago…Gatou might have been involved in their plans…"

The older man paid attention, closing his eyes and lying against the tree.

"I do know, though, that both of us are going to become real members soon. Our training is over, we're starting missions in the winter. Once that happens, they will teach me more about…err…my tenant. You know…"

"I understand."

"So… They won't kill me unless I betray them. I'll be kept alive, and soon they'll train me on how to handle…my tenant…and…me and her…we'll be…really strong. We'll be involved in all sorts of political shit."

The old man nodded, a light frown on his forehead. "Oh…"

"I…I've already told Sensei I only want missions that will harm the Sound…"

The old man nodded, the frown still in place. "I don't want you to go after him, or my old team mate."

The boy looked down. "Sensei will help me get to him."

The old man looked at him sharply, "Naruto…" he half-whispered, half-growled.

"The three year mark is almost up…by the end of spring…It might be too late. Sensei doesn't want his brother to be Orochimaru's new container. I don't want him to die either…"

There was silence. "Granny misses you." The old man said. "If you get yourself killed, it will break her heart."

"I wo-" The old man cut him off.

"If her heart is broken, I will raise you from your grave, and kill you again myself." The old man growled, "Understood?"

The blonde boy nodded, face very pale. "Yessir."

"Sakura misses you. She refuses to believe another one of her teammates has disappeared."

"Did you…"

"No. I told her you were coming back, though."

"I wish I could send something."

There was silence.

"I have to go." The teen said.

"Fine."

They both got up, and the teen mock-saluted his old friend. "See ya."

"Keep yourself safe, understood?" the old man said in a very serious tone.

"Gotcha. Tell Granny I miss her too."

"Tell your girlfriend I said hi."

To the old man's surprise, the teen simply smiled before turning around. "Will do."

The old man watched him walk away, the wind against his back, a pang of regret in his heart.

_next update coming soon...:)_


	9. Training: Building Blocs

**Note**: Because I'm not sure everyone understood who the old guy in the last chapter was…it was Jiraiya, fools! 3

_Ahh… apparently some people want me to write author's comments at the top or end of chapters…but I'm an idiot in real life and not incredibly interesting…So…who here has ever seen the movie Spirited Away? I love it so much I've seen it at least a dozen times in the past ten days…I'm in love with the story, and the way Miyazaki brought it to life. _

_On the other hand, on a more related topic, I have more than 1,000 hits on this story. I think it's a little sad I only have 44 reviews to show for it. People, I WANT TOT KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS STORY. REVIEW PROPERLY AND YOU SHALL BE REWARDED WITH IMAGINARY COOKIES OF AWESOMNESS._

_Enjoy your chapter, _dahlings_. I enjoyed writing it; I hope you enjoy reading it at least half as much. _

**Standard disclaimer can be found on my author's profile.**

¤¤¤

The clearing was pleasant enough for a cold, late January day. The fresh snow on the ground was ridden with their footprints, and Hinata felt the end of her fingers start to freeze. They stood side by side, looking a little embarrassed. Their wrists, her right and his left, were tied together so tightly, Hinata was positive her blood circulation was being cut off. Naruto huffed, next to her, annoyed. He tried to shake his hand loose, accidentally making Hinata wince, before crying out to their teacher, Kisame.

"Do we _have_ to fight like this?" Naruto whined, kicking a little snow from the end of his boot. His regular ninja footgear had been replaced with leather boots, his orange jumpsuit gone and replaced by black training pants and a black jacket, thick enough to protect from the cold.

Hinata looked down, silently agreeing with Naruto, but unable to face Kisame's terrifying shark face.

"Suck it up, brats." Kisame cut them off with a knowing and pleased grin. "Since Miss Hinata here was so intent on following you here, our happy little organization has decided to partner train you…" Kisame followed that comment with a chuckle, shaking his head.

"Partner?" Naruto asked again, his voice tired.

Hinata refused to look up. She was wearing the same clothing as Naruto, except she had been given a dark blue scarf to wrap around her neck. She didn't know why, but she supposed whoever had supplied the clothing had thought she would get cold faster than Naruto would...

"Yes yes. Partners." Kisame said nonchalantly, "Kinda like me and Itachi. Except you guys are going to be trained to work together flawlessly and become the ultimate killing machine duo and all that...Later on, if you two prove yourselves," Here, Kisame snickered, and Hinata felt a strange sense of apprehension crawling up her spine, "We might work on your individual skills..." he shot an amused look at the blonde kid, who didn't notice and instead started whining.

"I don't get it." Naruto wailed childishly, trying to cross his arms, but only managed to drag Hinata closer by accident. Hinata barely held back a squeak at the sudden tug.

"Sorry." He apologized sheepishly at the poor, blushing girl. His only answer was a nod, her eyes hidden by her black hair. Kisame rolled his eyes as he saw the interaction between the pair.

"Back to business." He said gruffly, regaining the kid's attention. They were barely teenagers, both on the threshold's of their thirteenth year.

They both looked up, his eyes annoyed and hers apprehensive.

"Pretty much everything you've ever learned about being a ninja is of no use here. In this session, your hands are tied and Naruto's sight will be disabled. Hinata will use her eyes to guide you both, Naruto will be using his ears and nose, and both of you will learn to function as a single unit, understood?"

Naruto growled. "I hate you."

"Bah." Kisame shrugged. "I don't give a shit."

Kisame then turned around and walked a few steps away from them. "I will be using a bamboo stick in this exercise. Now, Hinata, if you would please disable Naruto's eyes. Not permanently, of course."

Hinata looked up, eyes wide and terrified. "Bu-but n-n-Naruto-k-kun…the eyes…it will take a day to…"

"Do it." Kisame said tiredly, not even turning around to face her. "Now."

She charged her free hand with a minimum of chakra and stood in front of Naruto, head cast down, but Byakugan focused on his face.

"I d-don't…I'm…I'm…s-sorry…" she muttered, trying to say something.

"Hinata." Naruto said firmly, rolling his eyes. "I trust you. Don't worry."

She looked up, relief so apparent in her blank eyes. "It won't hurt." She said in one breath, trying hard not to stutter. "P-promise."

_Please let me not hurt him...What if I make him blind forever? Oh I'm going to fail I can't do this...I don't want to hurt him oh no I'm going to cry no no no no I can't do this-_

Naruto grinned, nodding. "I believe you."

She tried not to falter as her fingers tapped the left side of his head, and one of Naruto's eyes blanked out, his vision darkening. She moved her hand to reach the other point on the other side of his head. The last thing Naruto saw was her pale hand, and behind it, her snow white eyes, filled with worry.

"This is so freaky." He grinned, trying to make everything seem like a big joke. "I can't see anything!" He reached out slightly with his free hand, and moved it in front of his face. "Absolutely nothing!"

Hinata looked down and moved from in front of him back to his side, silently praying. Naruto's eyes followed the sound of her moving, but she knew he couldn't use them and he was using his ears to map her movements.

"Ready, twerps?" called out Kisame, holding a long, sturdy bamboo stick over his shoulders. "We don't have all day."

Naruto called out, trying to stay balanced and keep his calm. "What about us? No weapons?"

Kisame grin"ned. "None. I'm giving you a taste of what real partner training is like. Appreciate it."

And with those words, he attacked them.

¤¤¤

Hours later found the two kids sitting on the frozen forest ground, wrists still tied together and various parts of their bodies throbbing in pain and painted with bruises.

"I hate partner training. No offense, Hinata, but I don't think we were made for each other." Naruto huffed out, catching his breath as he let his head fall to the ground.

His eyes were still not working properly, though he could now perceive light from time to time. As his head was about to fall to the ground, he felt a cool hand on his neck, stop him.

"W-wait…" the dark-haired girl replied quietly as she pushed away a few pebbles and sticks from the ground underneath him.

Naruto's eyes were wide open in shock. "T-thanks." He lay down completely. "Really."

She nodded, an action he didn't see, but smiled faintly.

_Not made for each other?_

Hinata was on the verge of losing her precious, feeble calm and start crying.

"Maybe when Kisame comes back, we can tell him that we can't do this…knowing the bastard, he'll make us do this stupid thing anyways but-"

"No!" Hinata cried out before she could stop herself.

"Huh?" He looked in her direction with confusion painted over his face.

"…We…you…Uhh…can't give up."

Naruto frowned. "What?"

"You…your ninja…way…says that…you don't…you can't give up…" she took in a deep breath. She had to say this, she figured, or else they might be trained separately and she may never see him again! Or so she thought.

"That is…m-my ninja way too!" she continued, "I won't give up. I know that…y-you can do this!"

Naruto sat up again, and ran his free hand through his hair, thinking hard. "You're right."

Hinata almost looked surprised.

"All right, so...we're going to have to figure out some way of working together...obviously I'm not very useful, so you'll have to take the lead..." he stopped mid-thought.

Hinata wondered why he did.

"That...that won't work." he muttered more to himself than to her.

Hinata sat there, waiting him to continue and stared at their combined wrists. Slowly, she shifted her bound hand so that she could hold his.

"Naruto-kun..." she said after a while.

"Hmm?" he hadn't really paid attention to the way she was holding one of his hands, his mind a little preoccupied. But now that she had broken the silence, he resumed his focus on her, and couldn't understand why she had intertwined her fingers around his hand.

"I cannot take the lead." she said, trying not to stutter, "We...we have to work together. N-not as a leader and a follower, but c-completely in unison..."

"In unison...?"

Hinata nodded, feeling a little more confident, glad that he was paying attention. "Together. It is a little like the three-man genin teams back in the village. We have to learn to completely rely on each other."

Naruto nodded. They both stayed silent for a few moments, before he spoke again.

"We're going to make the craziest team ever, Hinata." Naruto exclaimed, grinning. "And we are going to kick major ass!"

Hinata blushed at his harsh language.

He stood up, pulling her with him. "We won't give up, right?"

"Right." she said without hesitating.

He felt his vision return, a little bit at a time, and suddenly what was once a dark emptiness was now an image covered in black spots. He saw her pale face with it's soft features and her blue-black hair. In her eyes, he could just make out an emotion he liked best.

Her determination.

It was what had first made him notice her, during her fight with Neji. He could remember her pain, how she found it so difficult to stand up after each one of her cousin's blows yet she never gave up, even though it nearly led to her death...

He remembered touching her blood with his hands. Naruto smiled a little. She was special, she wasn't like the other girls Naruto knew, she believed in him and was kind to him.

"Hello, midgets." Kisame's booming voice made them jump. They hadn't sensed him coming! "Would it bother you," he snarled in an irritated voice, "to stop being lazy morons and get back to work?"

Hinata tried not to jump at his tone, but Naruto just yelled back: "Don't you dare call Hinata lazy or stupid!"

Hinata looked at the boy, completely taken aback.

"N-na…"

"Com'on Hinata. Let's give this guy what he deserves."

He turned his neck to face her, and smiled. "I got your back, don't worry."

She nodded, trying to calm her frantically beating heart. She was scared, but placed her feet in a position to charge the older, more dangerous ninja. Out of the corner of her Byakugan, she saw Naruto imitate her moves. He too, was getting ready to move.

She took a deep breath.

She felt Naruto move and within a nanosecond, she unlocked her shaking legs and raced forward with him, charging her free hand with enough chakra to disable an elephant in one shot. Naruto had called forward two shadow clones (he only used one hand to make the seal) and within a second, the two genin had made their move.

They weren't nearly fast enough to actually catch Kisame, especially not with such an obvious attack, but Kisame grinned.

_They'll get it…with time._

He destroyed a shadow clone with the bamboo stick and quickly moved out of the way of Hinata, who Naruto had swung around by accident as he'd changed direction.

_Lots of time._


	10. Playtime: Fireworks

The blonde boy whined, pulling her sleeve.

"We're going to miss the show!!!"

She didn't answer him, but let a smile shine on her face ever so slightly as he dragged her down the street and towards the crowd.

The festival had just begun. They weren't dressed for it, still in their work clothes, but the boy took her hand as they dodged the elegantly dressed villagers. It was a rich village, and the fireworks were about to start.

The went behind the stands, keeping to the shadows and joyfully did not catch anyone's gaze or curious eye.

She felt the glow of the lanterns and the warmth of the voices and she was reminded of other festivals she had attended when she was young. They found a large old tree in the middle of the place, and when no one was paying attention they climbed it to its tallest and thickest branch and sat on it, side by side.

The first firework, bright and orange lit up the sky in a great circle. It was truly beautiful. The dark haired child's smile grew, her eyes shining.

"That was _so_ cool!!!" the blonde said, reaching for the sky and gripping on a branch with his other. "I'm so glad we got out in time for this!!!"

The girl cast down her eyes at that last comment. "If sensei finds us..."

"He won't! He's sleeping like a log...like the other one. We'll be just fine."

"Don't...I just...please..."

The boy rolled his eyes. "Relax, enjoy the show. If you want, we'll head back in soon."

_Why did you talk me into this?_

She looked at him, turning her neck and seeing the dark sky and the lantern light reflecting off his hair. He gave her a huge, glittering smile.

She quickly looked away.

_Right._

The heat rose to her cheeks.

_That._


End file.
